10 Movie Voice Performances That Are Perfect From Start to Finish (2024)

Tragically underappreciated and unrecognized as it may often be, voice acting is one of the most honorable and important branches of acting in the modern filmmaking landscape. With more, better, and more acclaimed animated movies and live-action films with CGI characters coming out every year, voice actors are more relevant and worthy of praise than ever before.

Throughout history, multiple voice-acting performances have been nothing short of legendary. These are the kinds of works that stand the test of time, proving that an actor doesn't need to show their face to deliver a memorable performance. From CGI creations like Paddington (Ben Whishaw) to classic animated characters like Scar (Jeremy Irons), numerous outstanding voice performances give the profession a good name. These voice performances are nothing short of flawless, carving a singular place in cinematic history.

10 Ben Whishaw as Paddington Bear

The 'Paddington' Franchise

The Paddington movies aren't only genuinely phenomenal films but also the perfect watch for someone who's feeling under the weather and wants a nice, warm, cozy duology (soon to be a trilogy) to cheer them up. They're the story of Paddington Bear, a young Peruvian bear who travels to London in search of a home. There, he meets the kind Brown family, who soon take him in as one of their own.

Two of the best found-family movies of the 21st century, the Paddington duology offers one of the most endearing CGI characters that live-action cinema has ever seen. Paddington is the kind of character who works impeccably well as a protagonist despite not having much of an arc or any significant flaws, really. Instead, he's at the center of a franchise that celebrates the power of kindness without ever feeling cheesy. Ben Whishaw has the perfect voice for such a character. Gentle, amusing, and honey-like, it's a marvelous performance that makes it impossible not to fall in love with Paddington as the Browns did.

Paddington

PG

Comedy

Adventure

Animation

Family

Where to Watch

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Not available

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Release Date

November 24, 2014

Director

Paul King

Cast

Tim Downie , Madeleine Worrall , Lottie Steer , Geoffrey Palmer , Theresa Watson , Imelda Staunton

Runtime

95

Writers

Paul King , Hamish McColl , Michael Bond

9 Eleanor Audley as Maleficent

'Sleeping Beauty' (1959)

One of the best fantasy movies of Hollywood's Golden Age happens to be animated. It's Disney's Sleeping Beauty, based on French writer Charles Perrault's eponymous story. It sees a malevolent fairy who, after being snubbed by the royal family, places a curse on the princess, which only a prince can break. The task of caring for the princess falls in the hands of three good fairies.

Since it's so magical, charming, visually enchanting, and has such incredible music, it's no wonder why Sleeping Beauty is one of Disney's most beloved films. It also has one of the scariest fantasy movie villains in animation: the sinister Maleficent, voiced by American actress Eleanor Audley, whose unique voice helped her find a lot of work in animation and radio. Her work as the villain is chilling, with an elegant yet eerie tone and a laugh that should be able to give any child nightmares. What makes this performance all the more legendary is that Audley was battling tuberculosis at the time.

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

G

Animation

Musical

Fantasy

Where to Watch

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Not available

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Release Date

January 29, 1959

Director

Clyde Geronimi , Wolfgang Reitherman

Cast

Mary Costa , Bill Shirley , Eleanor Audley

Runtime

75

8 Lupita Nyong'o as Roz

'The Wild Robot' (2024)

One of the most downright perfect movies that DreamWorks Animation has ever made, 2024's The Wild Robot only recently got released and is already being praised as one of the studio's best. In it, after a shipwreck, an intelligent service robot called Roz is stranded on a human-less island. To survive the harsh environment, she bonds with the island's animals, an adventure that leads her to become the caregiver to an orphaned baby goose.

The movie has a stacked voice cast, featuring both people relatively new to voice acting, such as Kit Connor, and industry veterans like Mark Hamill. The film's best performance, though, is Lupita Nyong'o's lead role as Roz. She's simultaneously hilarious and sympathetic, motherly and courageous, robotic and deeply human. It's an expertly balanced, profoundly impactful performance that cements Nyong'o as a future legend of animated cinema.

The Wild Robot

PG

Animation

Drama

Sci-Fi

Release Date

September 27, 2024

Director

Chris Sanders

Cast

Lupita Nyong’o , Pedro Pascal , Catherine O’Hara , Bill Nighy , Kit Connor , Stephanie Hsu , Mark Hamill , Matt Berry , Ving Rhames

Runtime

101 Minutes

Writers

Chris Sanders , Peter Brown

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7 Scarlett Johansson as Samantha

'Her' (2013)

One of the most distinct — and certainly one of the most romantic — sci-fi movies of recent years, Her is set in a futuristic Los Angeles that, far from being a dystopic hellhole like in films like Blade Runner, is rather inviting. It's here that Theodore, a lonely writer who recently got a divorce, develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

Her is an even more timely film today than it was back in 2013, bolstered by a couple of exceptional lead performances: Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore and Scarlett Johansson as the voice of Samantha, the AI that Theodore falls in love with. Easily Johansson's best voice role, Samantha allows the actress to explore every last dimension of her unique, husky, warm voice. It's a voice performance that manages to be sexy, playful, funny, and charming all at once, to the point that it becomes abundantly easy for the audience to understand why Theodore fell for Samantha.

Her (2013)

R

Science Fiction

Romance

Drama

Where to Watch

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Release Date

December 18, 2013

Director

Spike Jonze

Cast

Joaquin Phoenix , Amy Adams , Rooney Mara , Olivia Wilde , Scarlett Johansson

Runtime

126 Minutes

6 Jeremy Irons as Scar

'The Lion King' (1994)

Praised by many as Disney Animation's single greatest movie, The Lion King is inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet and African mythologies and folklore. It's the story of young lion prince Simba, who's banished by his uncle after he kills the king, Mufasa, to take the throne for himself. Years later, Simba returns to claim what is rightfully his and get justice for his father's death.

One of the most rewatchable Shakespearean movies ever, The Lion King features not just one but several of the best voice performances of the 20th century. There's one, however, that stands tall above the rest: Jeremy Irons's chilling portrayal of the deceitful Scar. Irons perfectly captures the complexity of his character's personality, conveying his nuances in the most powerful ways. As scary as he is oddly charismatic, Scar wouldn't be as memorable an antagonist as he is were it not for the phenomenal actor playing him.

The Lion King (1994)

G

Animation

Adventure

Drama

Where to Watch

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Release Date

June 24, 1994

Director

Rob Minkoff , Roger Allers

Cast

Matthew Broderick , Jeremy Irons , James Earl Jones

Runtime

88 minutes

Writers

Irene Mecchi , Jonathan Roberts , Linda Woolverton

5 Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max Jerry Horowitz

'Mary and Max' (2009)

The beautiful, heartbreaking, and criminally underrated Australian stop-motion film Mary and Max is one of the greatest animated movies for adults of the 2000s. Set in 1976, it follows a lonely 8-year-old girl from Melbourne who strikes up a correspondence with an unlikely pen pal: a 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome.

Both gorgeously life-affirming and one of the saddest animated movies ever made, Mary and Max is nothing short of a masterpiece. Toni Collette is flawless as little Mary, but it's Philip Seymour Hoffman's Max that truly steals the show. Hoffman's voice is nearly unrecognizable, as he's just as much to thank for Max's lively personality as the script. Raspy, intense, and capturing the vast range of hard-to-put-into-words emotions that the character goes through in the film, Hoffman's voice is absolutely perfect for the endearing Max.

Mary and Max

Not Rated

Animation

Comedy

Drama

Where to Watch

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Release Date

April 9, 2009

Director

Adam Elliot

Cast

Toni Collette , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Eric Bana , Barry Humphries , Bethany Whitmore , Renée Geyer

Runtime

92 Minutes

Writers

Adam Elliot

4 Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lisa

'Anomalisa' (2015)

Mainly known as a screenwriter — one of the best in the business, no less — Charlie Kaufman is famous for his existentially profound, charmingly neurotic, delightfully bizarre surrealistic movies. One of his most memorable is the stop-motion-animated Anomalisa. It's about Michael, a man depressed by the mundanity of his life and incapable of creating any true, meaningful connections. That all changes when he meets Lisa, the first extraordinary thing that he remembers ever experiencing.

Like pretty much all of Kaufman's films, Anomalisa has a great sense of humor, but the core of the beautiful narrative lies in the deep drama. Working with Kaufman behind the director's chair (along with Duke Johnson) and one of animation's best screenplays ever, Oscar nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh makes Lisa enigmatic, fragile, and absolutely extraordinary. It's a sweet, tender, layered performance that's coupled perfectly with David Thewlis's also-incredible portrayal of Michael.

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3 Ralph Fiennes as Ramses

'The Prince of Egypt' (1998)

Some would call it DreamWorks Animation's greatest film, and it would be difficult to blame them. It's The Prince of Egypt, a musical of, quite literally, Biblical proportions. It's the story of Egyptian prince Moses, who learns of his identity as a Hebrew and his destiny to become the chosen deliverer of his people. Sadly, his goal stands in opposition to his brother, Pharaoh Ramses.

Perhaps DreamWorks' best villain, Ramses is a character rich in personality, moral nuances, and heartbreaking tragedy. He's played flawlessly by Ralph Fiennes, whose instantly recognizable voice fits the character like a glove both in spoken and sung scenes. It's an immersive, fierce, intimidating performance but also one with surprising amounts of intimacy and vulnerability. If Prince of Egypt is as sad as it is, it's largely thanks to Fiennes's work as its antagonist.

The Prince of Egypt

PG

Animation

Adventure

Documentary

Drama

Family

History

Musical

Where to Watch

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Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

December 16, 1998

Director

Brenda Chapman , Steve Hickner , Simon Wells

Cast

Val Kilmer , Ralph Fiennes , Michelle Pfeiffer , Sandra Bullock , Jeff Goldblum , Danny Glover

Runtime

99 minutes

Writers

Philip LaZebnik , Nicholas Meyer

2 James Earl Jones as Darth Vader

The 'Star Wars' Franchise

After George Lucas cast bodybuilder David Prowse as Darth Vader, he realized that he was a perfect fit for the villain's body but not for his voice. So, he recurred to the late James Earl Jones, whose gravitas-filled voice ensured that Vader would go down in history as one of the greatest movie villains ever. The tragic yet terrifying figure is perhaps the most recognizable image of the Star Wars movies or probably even of the sci-fi movie genre in general.

There was a lot more to Jones's performance as Vader than just his deep bass tone, which allowed the character to be both scary and emotional, depending on what the scene required. There was also an awful lot of depth and subtext to the actor's voice performance, mixed with Prowse's precise body movements. The result allowed Vader to be a fascinating enough character to get an origin story in the prequel trilogy years later.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

PG

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

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*Availability in US

Release Date

May 25, 1977

Director

George Lucas

Cast

Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Peter Cushing , Alec Guinness , Anthony Daniels

Runtime

121 minutes

Writers

George Lucas

1 Robin Williams as the Genie

'Aladdin' (1992)

When one talks about perfect voice performances, Robin Williams's work as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin always, always comes up; it simply must. After all, this story about a street thief who falls in love with a princess and must find a magic lamp with a wish-granting Genie to get close to her simply wouldn't be even half as iconic without Williams.

It takes a truly legendary, almost transcendental performance to define the tone and atmosphere of a whole film. To do so without the aid of facial expressions or any kind of visibility of the body is even more of an achievement. As such, Williams's work as the Genie effectively revolutionized the voice-acting industry. Of course, it helps that Aladdin is one of the animated movies with the best voice acting, but Williams' performance is on a tier of its own. Hilarious, emotional, colorful, and lively to the point that it feels like the character will come out of the screen at any moment, it's truly the greatest voice performance of all time.

Aladdin

G

Animation

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Fantasy

Musical

Romance

Where to Watch

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*Availability in US

Release Date

November 25, 1992

Director

Ron Clements , John Musker

Cast

Scott Weinger , Robin Williams , Linda Larkin , Jonathan Freeman , Frank Welker , Gilbert Gottfried

Runtime

90 min

Writers

Ron Clements , John Musker , Ted Elliott , Terry Rossio , Ed Gombert , Burny Mattinson

NEXT:The Best Recurring Disney Voice Actors, Ranked